Senior Tory MSP throws his hat into leadership contest
SENIOR Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has announced his bid for the leadership of the party, claiming members have been “let down” by bosses north and south of the Border.
Mr Fraser becomes the sixth person to announce plans to run ahead of nominations opening today.
Russell Findlay, deputy leader Meghan Gallacher, Brian Whittle, Liam Kerr, and Jamie Greene have all also thrown their hats into the ring to replace Douglas Ross.
In a post on X, Mr Fraser said the party needs “real change”, but said he will not seek to split the Scottish Conservatives from their Uk-wide counterparts as he did in a previous leadership run in 2011.
“This party, our party, has let us all down,” he said in a video posted to social media.
“You, its members, were let down by Boris Johnson over partygate, you were let down by Liz Truss’s mini-budget, you were let down by Rishi Sunak at D-day.
“And yes, I’m sorry to say, you were let down by Douglas Ross and his team.
“So now, our party must change, and change cannot be continuity in a fancy wrapper – our party needs a leader who will reach every corner of it, change it, and hold it together all at the same time.”
The Mid Scotland and Fife MSP added: “This is not my first attempt to lead my party. But it is my most important.
“This party is fractured. It is unhappy. It is vulnerable. Continuity won’t cut it.
“The days of a tiny group holding the power which should belong to the members must end.
“Only I can end that. When I say I want to change the party, it is not just a campaign slogan – I mean it.”
Along with announcing his candidacy, Mr Fraser also published a 12-point plan for his leadership, including pledges to end what he described as “top-down directives”, creating more policies other than being against Scottish independence, and putting a representative of the party’s councillors on the frontbench.
He also reiterated his commitment to an independent commission to look at the party’s links with the UK Tories.
The candidate also said his team will avoid attacking others in the race, and urged others to do the same, saying: “I and my team will fight an entirely positive campaign focused on our ideas.
“We won’t be indulging in tiresome, divisive attacks on other candidates and their ideas, nor responding to such attacks on us. I’m sure all candidates will take a similar approach.”
Mr Fraser’s candidacy comes after Liam Kerr warned against different camps emerging during the contest and said the party must ensure they come out of the ongoing leadership race “genuinely united”.
His intervention followed bruising leadership contests in the SNP and the UK Conservatives in 2023 between Humza Yousaf and Kate Forbes, and Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Mr Kerr said that ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election, the party must adopt a “genuinely conservative programme”, along with a strategy to deliver it, but that can only be done “if we are a genuinely united party”.
Meanwhile, former leader Jackson Carlaw has called for a live TV hustings in his party’s leadership race.
He said the programme would allow party members a chance to assess the candidates before they vote.
Mr Carlaw suggested STV’S political editor Colin Mackay or BBC Scotland’s Debate Night could take on the event.
Nominations will close at noon on August 22 with ballots papers being sent to party members on September 4. The winner will be announced on September 27.
Fellow MSP Stephen Kerr agreed he would like to see televised hustings and noted the contest’s tight timetable.
“Let’s see these candidates in an open debate on telly. There is very little time – a matter of days – for a proper contest between the close of nominations and the ballot papers going out so the sooner we get to this the better,” he said. Mr Carlaw was Scottish Tory leader from February to July 2020, having acted in the position since August 2019.
On Tuesday, Mr Greene announced his plans to make a push for the top job, outlining his vision for a “radical shake-up” of the party, as well as trying to “fix politics, fix the party, fix Scotland”.
He said: “Twenty-five years into devolution, I think Holyrood has let down a generation of young Scots. The Scottish Conservatives have been a drifting ship surviving political storms, but I’ve had enough of the language of defeat. I want to fix politics, fix our party, and fix Scotland. That means a radical shake-up of how we do things in Holyrood and a change in leadership style.”
STV said any plans around leadership debates would be confirmed after nominations have closed.
A BBC spokesman said: “We’ve haven’t made all our plans yet, but we’ll be hearing from all candidates as we cover the Scottish Conservatives’ leadership contest over the next few weeks.”
This party is fractured. It is vulnerable